I joked on Facebook before my wedding yesterday that photographing a friend's wedding makes me especially nervous. It's true! Every wedding makes me nervous to some degree - which is good, since it makes me triple check my gear and the schedule - but with friends you also feel a personal pressure to not let them down.

I needn't have worried with Shannon and Andy.

Not only was the wedding beautiful, but they were as laid-back and fun-loving as I've always known them to be. It was a day filled with familiar faces, actually, with a neighbor, a former wedding couple of mine, and a handful of other acquaintances joining in.

The day started off with the girls getting ready at Shannon's parent's house, a fun process with this bunch.

The ceremony was very traditional, in the beautiful Our Lady of Sorrows in West Hartford.

Then we moved to the Webb-Dean Barn for a lively reception DJ'd by Collins Entertainment. Shannon, Andy, and their friends and family know how to enjoy a party, but it was also marked by touching moments. After they each made a speech about what the other meant to them, the videographer and I were both misty-eyed.

So yes, friend's weddings make me nervous, but that's only half the story. They are also my most satisfying weddings, and the most touching.

Congratulations, you two! I don't know another couple as perfectly suited for each other as you two are.